Bath seat lift



F. P. GLOVER BATH SEAT LIFT Dec. 6,, 196% 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 13, 1964 IN'ENTOR 20/1/05 LOVEQ wmmm umm-wwwm m 9 W66 F. P. GLOVER 33%,21?

BATH SEAT LIFT Filed May 13, 1964 Sheets-Sheet 2 L44 30 H JNVENTOR. Maw/us" (@140 1/52 BY Unite States 3,289,217 BATH SEAT LEFT Francis P. Glover, 9400 S. Normandie, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed May 13, 1964, Ser. No. 366,996 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-485) The invention herein described pertains to equipment for maneuvering an invalid patient in and out of a bathtub, and more particularly to apparatus of the type described that may be mounted upon the edge of the tub and that comprises a seat which is horizontally rotatable from a first loading and unloading position over the edge of a tub to a second position in which it may be lowered into the tub and brought back up again.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of the type described that will rest its weight, and possibly also that of the person occupying the seat, primarily upon the top edge of the tub.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described in which the seat may easily be rotated from a first angular position in which a person may be placed thereon to a second angular position in which it may be moved vertically.

A further object is the provision of a device of the type described in'which the seat may be lockedin either of the aforementionedangular positions.

An additional object is to provide means for clamping the supporting structure of the device across the outside wall of the tub.

Still another object is to provide a suitable manually operable means for supplying the power that moves the seat up and down while carrying an occupant.

A further object is to provide a device of the type last described in which the seat is raised and lowered by a vertically disposed screw that may be rotated by means of a lever or crank.

Yet another object is to so arrange the operating member that it may be positioned at a variety of angles with respect to the axis of the screw to permit its easy operation and to avoid interference between the operating lever and the person that may be occupying the seat.

An additional object is to provide means for adjusting the supporting portions of the device to conform, within limits, to the contour of the tub on which it is mounted.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of an illustrative embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, such an embodiment is shown in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention mounted upon a tub;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device and its relationship to the tub as viewed from above;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially upon line 3-3 of FIG. 2 with certain portions broken away to reveal the construction more clearly;

FIG. 4 is a section taken approximately on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the device taken on line 66 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a section taken substantially on line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

In FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the seat 11 of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown suspended over a tub. It must be movable from this position to a second position in which it is disposed inside the tub near the bottom, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 3.

In order to support the seat in either of these positions and in its journey between them, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a saddle-like element that spans the outer wall 12 of the tub. This supporting structure includes a central section 13 and two depending structures 14 and 15 that hang downward therefrom on the outside and inside respectively of the outer wall 12 of the tub. Two arms 16 and 17 extend laterally in opposite directions from the central section to rest upon the upper surface 18 of the tubs outer wall 12.

In order to secure the saddle firmly to the outer wall of the tub, the presently preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a downwardly extending leaf 19 that is pivotally connected at 20 to the structure 15 which extends downward inside the tub from the central section 13. This leaf is adapted to lie against the inner surface 21 of the outer wall 12 of the tub. It may be adjusted in the manner hereinafter to be described to fit the particular slope or contour of the inside surface.

A pad or plate 22 cooperates with the leaf 19 for clamping the outer wall 12 of the tub between the depending structure 14- on the outside of the tub and the depending structure 15 on the inside. The pad or plate 22 is carried on the ends of the thumb screws 23 and 24 that are threaded through the leg 25 of the outside depending structure 14. The screws 23 and 24 are provided respectively with wings 26 and 27 whereby they may be rotated in order to vary the distance between the pad 22 and the leg 25.

The pivot pin 20, by means of which the leaf 19 is mounted, is carried by the trunnion-like bosses 28 that project from the back of the downwardly extending leg 29 of the inside depending structure 15.

As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, the leg 29 has a pair of lateral protrusions 30 and 31 which have threaded holes 32 and 33 therein to threadedly receive the screws 34 and 35 whose inner ends are engagable with the pivoted leaf 19. The screws 34 and 35 are headless and are provided with slots 36 and 37 respectively that may be reached by a screw driver inserted through the holes 32 and 33, thus avoiding any protrusion of these screws beyond the bosses 3d and 31 into the inside of the tub.

The leg 29 carries a long rotatable screw 36 whose end portions are journaled in the widely spaced members 37 and 33 that are integral with the leg and the central element 13, member 37 being located at the bottom of leg 29 and member 33 in the forward end of the central section.

A traveling nut or block 39 is threadedly mounted on the screw 36, the rotation of the screw 36 causing upward or downward movement of the traveling block. The seat 1 is mounted on the outer end of arm 40, and the inner end of the arm is forked to provide two tines or trunnion members 42 and 43 that straddle the forward end of the traveling block 39. A pivoting shaft 41 passes through the tine 42, the forwardly projecting portion of the traveling block 39 and through the lower tine 43. The pivot shaft 41 may be non-rotatably secured to the trunnionlike ends of the arm 40 so that the pin will rotate in a clearance hole or bearing 44 in the traveling block.

The inner end of the upper trunnion 42 has a peripheral recess 45 therein extending slightly more than 180 degrees therearound. A pin 46 is vertically movable in a hole 48 in the traveling block 39. This pin has a reduced section 47 that is traversed by the slot 45 in the upper trunnion member 42 as the arm 46 is moved from the angular position shown in full lines in PEG. 4 to the angular position shown in broken lines. The curved ends of the recess 45 serve as stops to limit the angular movement of the arm 41 as the reduced section 46 is traversed by the recess during the angular movement of the arm. This angular movement is only possible when the indexing pin 46 is in the uppermost of its two possible positions. In this uppermost position, the lower end of 49 of the pin is free from engagement with the trunnion 43, as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 6, but when this indexing pin is in the lower of its two positions, it is capable of nesting in any one of the three arcuate recesses or notches 50, 51, or 62, which may be best seen in FIG. 5.

When the apparatus is being placed over the outer wall of the tub and attached thereto, the seat 11 should be rotated to one of its extreme angular positions, one of which is shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 4; and it should be locked in such position by dropping the lower end of the indexing pin 46 into the notch 51, FIG. 5, if the seat has been rotated clockwise from the position shown in full lines, or into the crescent recess 63, if the seat has been turned counter-clockwise. When the seat and its supporting arm 40 are in either of the extreme positions just described, the center of gravity of the entire apparatus is very close to the inner surface 21 of the outer wall 12 of the tub, and it is consequently easier during the mounting process to keep the two arms 16 and 17 in intimate contact with the upper surface 13 of the tubs outer wall. When the apparatus is so disposed, the adjusting screws 34 and 35 that are carried in the bosses 30 and 31, respectively, on the downwardly extending leg 29, should be so adjusted that the leaf 19 will be parallel to the inner surface 21 of the tubs outer wall when the center section 13 and its side arms 17 and 18 are resting fiat against the upper surface 18 of the tubs outer wall. The two clamping screws 23 and 24 should then be tightened by means of their wings 26 and 27 to bring the pad or plate 22 into firm engagement with the outer surface 12 of the tubs outer wall.

In order to avoid injury to the finish of the tub, the side arms 16 and 17 are provided with cushioning pads 54; and the leaf 19 and the plate 22 are similarly provided with cushioning members 55 and 56 respectively.

The screw 36 may be rotated for raising and lowering the seat 11 by means of a lever or crank 57 having a short arm 58 rotatably mounted in the cap 59 that is integral with the portion of the upper end of the screw 36 that projects above the bearing member 38. The crank or lever 57 has a long arm 66 that is disposed at an angle to its short arm 58, substantially as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The long arm may carry an operating knob 61 on its outer end to facilitate its manual operation. When the operating crank or lever 57 is disposed at an angular position in which its long arm 66- is substantially at right angles to the axis of the screw 36, FIG. 3, the moment arm of the force exerted upon the operating knob 61 will of course be at its maximum, and as the angle of the arm 66 is changed with respect to the axis of the shaft 36 the moment arm diminishes until the turning moment disappears as the arm 66 becomes parallel to the axis of the threaded shaft. In any angular position between these two extremes, the movement of the operating knob 61 around the cap 59 exerts a turning moment upon the screw and causes the traveling nut 39 to be either raised or lowered, depending upon the direction of rotation.

When the person that is to occupy the seat 11 for emersion into the tub is placed upon the seat, the seat should of course be disposed in the angular position shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 4, in which the arm 40 that supports the seat is substantially parallel to the outer wall 12 of the tub. The seat 11 with its occupant thereon should next be rotated to the position shown in FIG. 1 and in full lines in FIGS. 2 and 4. The patient may then of course be lowered into the tub by appropriate rotation of the manual operating means 57. When this means is in the angular position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there of course can be no interference between the arm 60 and the occupant of the seat; but as the arm approaches an angular position in which it is closer to the occupant, it sometimes has to be tilted upwardly toward the position shown in FIG. 3 so that it will avoid the occupant. This of course changes the turning moment that is exerted upon the screw by the rotation of the operating member 57, but the pitch of the screw and the position of its axis relative to the seat 11 are such that a slight change in the angle of the operating lever 57 is of no great significance.

Various modifications may of course be made from the illustrative embodiment shown in the figures and described herein, and various palts may be rearranged or transposed or replaced by other parts performing the same function plus one or more additional functions-all without departing from the broad spirit of the invention as succinctly set forth in the appended claims.

The inventor claims:

1. In a device for maneuvering an invalid patient in and out of a bathtub: a supporting element comprising an elongated central section adapted to extend over and across the side wall of a bathtub and having a pair of arms extending laterally in opposite directions therefrom to rest upon the top edge of said side wall; a first structure depending from said central section, said first structure constructed and arranged to be positioned exteriorly of said wall; a second structure depending from said central section, said second structure constructed and arranged to be positioned interiorly of said side wall; means interposed between said structures for clamping said side wall between them; said second structure comprising of elongated member and a threaded shaft substantially paralleling said member and rotatably mounted thereon; an internally threaded traveling block mounted on said threaded shaft for movement therealong upon rotation of said shaft; an arm so rotatably carried by said block that in a first angular position thereof it will lie substantially parallel to said side wall and in a second angular position it will extend away from said side wall; a seat carried by said arm; and means for rotating said shaft to raise and lower said seat.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said block carries instrumentalities for selectively indexing said arm in said first or second angular position.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which manually powered means are provided for rotating said shaft.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said first structure comprises a downwardly extending leg, a pad interposed between said first and second structures, and means for varying the distance between said pad and said leg for clamping said side wall between said pad and said second structure.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which said second structure comprises a leaf interposed between said first and second structures, and means for varying the distance between at least a portion of said leaf and said first structure for clamping said side wall between said leaf and said first structure.

6. The combination of claim 5 in which said leaf is pivoted near one end thereof to said elongated member, and in which the portion of the leaf whose distance with respect; to said first structure is variable is a portion of References Cited by the Examiner the leaf that is remote from its pivoted end. N s

7. The combination of claim 3 in which the manually U ITED STATES PATENTS powered means is a rod having a first section rotatably 2187283 1/1940 schfautz 4 185 carried by the upper end of said shaft and a second 5 248-451 section disposed at an angle with respect to said first seca ton 4 18 tion whereby said shaft may be rotated by manually re- FOREIGN PATENTS volving said second section around said shaft and whereby 270968 5/1927 Great Britain the moment arm of the force manually exerted on said second section may be varied by changing the angle of 10 LAVERNE GEIGER, P y Examine!- said section with respect to said shaft. J GROSS, 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR MANEUVERING AN INVALID PATIENT IN AND OUT OF A BATHTUB: A SUPPORTING ELEMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CENTRAL SECTION ADAPTED TO EXTEND OVER AND ACROSS THE SIDE WALL OF A BATHTUB AND HAVING A PAIR OF ARMS EXTENDING LATERALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THEREFROM TO REST UPON THE TOP EDGE OF SAID SIDE WALL; A FIRST STRUCTURE DEPENDING FROM SAID CENTRAL SECTION, SAID FIRST STRUCTURE CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO BE POSITIONED EXTERIORLY OF SAID WALL; A SECOND STRUCTURE DEPENDING FROM SAID CENTRAL SECTION, SAID SECOND STRUCTURE CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO BE POSITIONED INTERIORLY OF SAID SIDE WALL; MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID STRUCTURES FOR CLAMPING SAID SIDE WALL BETWEEN THEM; SAID SECOND STRUCTURE COMPRISING OF 